Sun Moon Empire, Ming Du.
Though currently in a state of war, it did not affect Ming Du's prosperity in the slightest; in fact, it surpassed even the time of the Soul Master Tournament four years ago.
This was naturally thanks to Zhang Lexuan's contributions. Since ascending the throne, apart from quelling rebellions externally, she had also carried out a series of internal reforms. The top priority was naturally the development of Ming Du. The first thing Zhang Lexuan did was to wipe out the underground forces in Ming Du.
Of Ming Du's three major underground forces—the Evening Water Alliance, the Ordinary Alliance, and the Ao Du Chamber of Commerce—the Evening Water Alliance was directly exterminated, while the other two were absorbed, broken up, and reassigned to different regions, rendering them unable to cause any waves.
Why the different treatment? The reason was simple: the Evening Water Alliance was backed by the Holy Spirit Cult. Xu Tianran needed the Holy Spirit Cult's power, but Zhang Lexuan did not.
In fact, when Zhang Lexuan was initially stabilizing the Sun Moon Empire, Ye Xishui had come to her door seeking cooperation, only to be flatly refused. The furious Ye Xishui tried to attack Zhang Lexuan but was repelled by the Demon Empress Quan'er and never appeared again.
Because of Ye Xishui, Zhang Lexuan immediately launched a purge, determined to eliminate all evil soul masters embedded in the Sun Moon Empire's army and other institutions. The Evening Water Alliance was wiped out in this context, and the wealth they had amassed in Ming Du over decades was entirely seized by Zhang Lexuan into her private treasury.
At the same time, most of the evil soul masters in the Sun Moon Empire's army were eradicated. Only a small number of powerful ones managed to escape by luck, but they no longer dared to show their faces openly in the Sun Moon Empire—because the current Sun Moon Empire was no longer Xu Tianran's era; it belonged to Zhang Lexuan.
As for the other two underground forces, the Ordinary Alliance and the Ao Du Chamber of Commerce, they were mainly backed by Ming Du's great nobles. When these nobles learned that Zhang Lexuan intended to clean up Ming Du's underground forces, they very tactfully handed over the two organizations to her in exchange for their own safety. One had to admit, they had good foresight.
Zhu Ziyang flew over Ming Du from above. The city's air defense system was nothing but decoration before a god. He swaggered into the imperial palace, swept it with his divine sense, and immediately located his target.
At that moment, Zhang Lexuan, who was reviewing memorials in the study, sensed something and looked up toward the door—just in time to meet Zhu Ziyang's eyes as he walked in. Silence. Then a gust of wind scattered a few pages of paper, followed by the sound of bodies colliding. Zhang Lexuan and Zhu Ziyang embraced each other.
"Congratulations, Ziyang!" After a long embrace, Zhang Lexuan finally spoke slowly. Her pretty face was filled with longing and joy, showing none of the empress's reserve or elegance.
"It's so late—why are you still working?" Zhu Ziyang asked, caressing Zhang Lexuan's face with some heartache.
"The empire has newly annexed such a large territory; there are many matters to handle. Fortunately, I'm now a Limit Douluo with abundant energy—even a month without rest wouldn't be a problem," Zhang Lexuan said with a smile. She didn't explain much to Zhu Ziyang because she knew that since he was here, he must have done his research beforehand.
"That won't do!" Zhu Ziyang's face immediately darkened upon hearing this. "Even a Limit Douluo is still human. And as long as you're human, you need regular rest! Listen to me—stop overtime tonight and rest!"
"Mm-hm!" Feeling Zhu Ziyang's concern, Zhang Lexuan's heart warmed. It had been over a year since they last saw each other, and she had so much to say to him—she had no mood for overtime. So she went along with it, took Zhu Ziyang's arm, and walked toward her sleeping quarters.
Inside the empress's bedchamber, after a hearty and satisfying session of intimacy, Zhu Ziyang held Zhang Lexuan, leaning against the ornate bed, speaking softly.
Zhang Lexuan's pretty face was still flushed, her beautiful eyes not yet free of lingering affection. Her head rested on Zhu Ziyang's shoulder, her jade-like fingers gently tracing his chest. She breathed out like orchids and said, "This time, you're not going into seclusion again, right?"
"Mm." Zhu Ziyang nodded, one hand playing with her treasures. "From now on, I plan to shuttle between Ming Du and Shrek City. We'll have plenty of time together, hehe."
As he spoke, Zhu Ziyang let out a heart-stirring light chuckle, making Zhang Lexuan's heart skip a beat, her eyes growing hazy.
"Where are Huanghuang and Jingjing?" Zhu Ziyang, basking in post-intimacy affection, finally remembered he was a father and asked.
"They're already two years old—they stopped sleeping with me long ago," Zhang Lexuan said, rolling her eyes at Zhu Ziyang before continuing. "They sleep in the side hall now. They're probably dreaming. When they see you tomorrow, they'll be overjoyed."
"I hope so. It's been over a year—will they still remember me?" Zhu Ziyang said helplessly.
"Don't worry, the babies are very smart," Zhang Lexuan said proudly. "They can already speak fluently with others!"
"Really? As expected of my children!" Zhu Ziyang, hearing this, didn't doubt Zhang Lexuan's words at all. Instead, he wore a smug expression, claiming all the credit for himself.
"Yes, yes, yes—my Ziyang is the most outstanding," Zhang Lexuan said indulgently, watching her man's childish behavior. Though her words carried a teasing tone, the love in her eyes nearly overflowed.
The two talked from their children to military affairs. Zhang Lexuan informed Zhu Ziyang of the Sun Moon Empire's upcoming military operations. There was no difference from the original plan: after initially digesting the Tianhun Empire, they would launch a decapitation strike against the Dou Ling Empire in about half a year.
Among the four nations of the Douluo Continent, the Dou Ling Empire was the weakest in both strength and cohesion. Its establishment had been a compromise from the start.
Back then, the Tian Dou Empire split internally. The current Tianhun Empire's royal Wei family rebelled. The Tian Dou royal Xue family tried to suppress the rebellion with force but suffered successive defeats. The Wei family easily reached Tian Dou City. Under the protection of several great nobles loyal to the emperor, the Xue family fled the capital, heading west until they faced the Wei family in a final battle at what is now the Dou Ling Empire's capital, Ling Dou City.
The battle ended in the Wei family's complete victory, but they failed to unify the Tian Dou Empire because the Star Luo Empire intervened. Though the Star Luo Empire lacked the power to destroy the Tian Dou Empire in one blow, it was more than capable of causing trouble. With their support, the utterly defeated Xue family managed to hold Ling Dou City and, together with the Star Luo Empire, repelled the Wei family.
The Wei family missed the best chance to unify Tian Dou. The Xue family, backed by the Star Luo Empire, gained the strength to stand toe-to-toe with the Wei family. The split of the Tian Dou Empire became a fait accompli. Thus, the Wei family established the Tianhun Empire, and the Xue family established the Dou Ling Empire.
The Star Luo Empire became the biggest winner of the Tian Dou civil war, beginning to nibble away at both the Dou Ling and Tianhun Empires. According to the Star Luo Empire's plans and power at the time, within a century, it could have destroyed both Tianhun and Dou Ling and unified the Douluo Continent.
Then the Sun Moon Empire arrived…
Ahem, got sidetracked. Though the Dou Ling Empire's imperial family was still the Xue family, real power lay with the five great noble families. The emperor and the imperial family were mostly puppets and symbols. Nearly ninety percent of the Dou Ling Empire's army and soul master forces were controlled by these five noble families.
The Sun Moon Empire's decapitation plan targeted the Dou Ling imperial family and the five noble families, with the noble families as the primary targets. Control them, and the Dou Ling Empire would be unable to mount effective resistance in the short term—this would greatly shorten the time needed to annex the Dou Ling Empire and save considerable military resources. The imperial family was secondary. Though puppets, they were still royalty. Ming Du already had one Tianhun Empire emperor—adding a Dou Ling emperor wouldn't hurt, would it?
Zhu Ziyang did not interfere much with the Sun Moon Empire's plan. The plan was sound, and the Sun Moon Empire now had the strength to execute it.
"By the way, where's Nannan? I didn't sense her aura," Zhu Ziyang asked, puzzled.
"Nannan went to the Yuenan Islands to inherit her divine position," Zhang Lexuan said. "By my count, she's been gone a month. She should be in seclusion now."
"I see. That's good," Zhu Ziyang said with a surprised smile.
"Mm!" Zhang Lexuan nodded in agreement.
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Here are the chapters for today (づ￣3￣)づ╭～
"The novel is already finished on Patreon."
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